


South of North

by asphodelmoonlight



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 23:56:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7129904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asphodelmoonlight/pseuds/asphodelmoonlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Sigrid's family is brutally slaughtered by white walkers her remaining brother sacrifices everything to ensure that she gets south of the wall to where he thinks she'll be safe. Falling in love with the King of North however puts her in a whole new kind of danger - threatening to make her brother's sacrifice for nothing. Robb/OC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prelude

  

* * *

Sigrid couldn’t quite understand how a life could be so irrevocably changed in just  the smallest of moments - how one second someone could be happy and the next forgotten the very notion of  feeling. She had been sitting by the fire with her brothers and her sister enjoying a small moment of peace one moment and the next she was running for her life with blood on her hands and tears streaming down her eyes - with one of her brothers dead and her sister… _ her sister. _

 

Sigrid could still remember it somewhat, how sitting by that fire she and her siblings had heard a loud piercing cry that had shook her so terribly. She recalled how in the moments after that horrible sound a thousand more had joined in until all that could be heard was crying, wailing and screaming. Her brothers seemed to know something that she did not and they had drew their blades in unison. They had told her to hide along with her sister and not to make a sound.

 

“Go now Siggy.” Her brothers had cried to her in synchronized states of panic, frantically gesturing to a cupboard. “ _ Save yourself. Don’t worry about us.”  _

 

But she hadn’t the time to hide. The door had been pushed open and about a dozen people filtered through with ruthless proficiency - except they weren’t people anymore. Their eyes were white and hollow and their skin taut around their sharp-edged bones. They looked like corpses except they moved and quite quickly too. One got it’s hands around one of her brothers and tore and tore - she shielded her eyes  from the horrific sight, frozen still with grief and fear. She knew then what they were, a name many wildlings were hesitant to use -  _ white walkers _ . 

 

It had all been a blur after that. She could only faintly  recall how her sister Munda had shielded her feeble body as a white walker had plundered in their direction and how Garrick, her remaining brother had fought fearlessly to get to them in time. Above all else, she recalled how he hadn’t been quick enough,  how the shrill cry of her sister had filled the air and how the hollow sound of her body hitting the ground had shook the entire house in a moment of terrible anguish. 

 

After that Garrick took her hand and they ran into the night. All was lost, the village, their family, their hope for a future. As they were running Sigrid had cast a backward glance at her burning village and saw her sister’s face in the crowds of wights, eyes hollow and cold as the snow at her feet. Tears had fallen even more swiftly then and  Sigrid had thought there would be no end to them.

 

They had ran for weeks, surviving on limited food and water. Sigrid was growing so skinny she could scarcely stand and Garrick was so starving he could barely muster the strength to hunt. She hadn’t known that life could get any worse until then- that she had still had so much further to fall. She was quite confident however that she was at rock bottom now - with half her family dead and dying herself. 

 

“I found a rat. It’s not much but it’s a night’s meal.” Garrick sunk to the snowy ground beside her, wrapping an arm around her for warmth. “I wish Benor was around. He was a better hunter than me. He’d have us an elk to feast on.” 

 

Sigrid felt her eyes grow watery at the memory of her lost brother. He had always kept them well fed. She’d never known the feeling of true hunger with him around. He sold his meat to the entire village and everyone swore they had never tasted any better elk than his. He killed quickly and with mercy and she had always admired him that with her soft heart. His prey never lingered in their suffering - not like he had, getting slowly torn apart before a slow and agonizing tear to the throat. 

 

“It’s quite a big one. I suppose they have a lot more dead to feast on.” Garrick let out a low sigh, kicking the snow at his feet. Sigrid remained entirely silent  “The dead the white walkers haven’t already claimed that is of course.”

 

“I always thought that father was lying when he said the white walkers were coming - I thought… I thought that they were just a fairy story. Like the ones mother used to tell about the children of the forest.” Sigrid sobbed. “I didn’t believe-” 

  
“I know you didn’t and I’m sorry you have to now.” Garrick rubbed a soothing circle onto the the back of her shoulder. “Father will think us dead when he returns and sees the village in ruin. I knew we should have went with him, I knew it wasn’t safe but he said we’d be safer staying - that the white walkers wouldn’t care about one pesky little village in the corner of nowhere. He was a fool.” 

 

“Don’t blame father. Please don’t blame him.” Sigrid wiped at her eyes profusely. She thought of her father, his red hair, warm arms and coarse language.  She wanted him more than Garrick. He would know what to do and where to go. “We should go find him. He’ll be with Mance Rayder won’t he? That’s where he said he was going - to help build the greatest fire the north has ever seen!” 

 

“We have no idea where he is and nor any place to start looking. He told me to protect you Sigrid and I’m going to do that.” Garrick warmed his hands over the fire prompting her to do the same. “And I know just the way.”


	2. Direwolves

 

* * *

The air was colder than usual and Sigrid found herself hugging her shoulders as she followed her brother through the dense forest. She had told him it wasn’t a good idea to take the forest route to the port as all sorts of beasts lingered there and neither were in any condition to fight them - yet he hadn’t listened. Garrick always knew better, or at least he thought he did. Munda always told her that all men were like that, that they never listened to a woman’s reason and that if they ever did the world would be a better place because of it.

 

“Stay close to me Sig. It’s dangerous here.” He wrapped his right arm around her protectively, his left tightly coiled around his dull-edged sword.

 

“Then why did we come this way? Walking along the sea would have been much safer. Snow wolves and bears don’t go that way.” Sigrid stared around at her surroundings fearfully, withholding a breath as she did so.

 

“Coming this way will cut weeks off our journey Sig. We’re starving and we won’t last much longer. Just trust in me.” He spoke calmly, his heavy footsteps making marks in the ground.  “Getting mauled by a bear beats starvation any day. There is no worse death than starvation - if you can’t trust in me then you can trust in that.”

 

“I do trust in you Garrick but sometimes I just don’t… _approve of your decisions._ ” She sighed, Garrick let out a small trill of laughter and the sound was music to her ears. She hadn’t heard laughter in god knows how long. “If we’d gone by the sea we could have caught some fish or maybe even caught a boat on it’s way to the port.”

 

“And maybe we wouldn’t have. I need to get you to that port alive. I’ll get you on a boat to the south soon and you won’t have to worry about white walkers ever again. That’s the plan and we’re going to make it a reality.” Garrick spoke confidently.

 

“ _We_ won’t have to worry about the white walkers ever again.” She corrected. They were a team and she wouldn’t let them be separated, she didn’t like Garrick’s use of the singular. “We’ll both get on a boat to the south. We need to stick close you and I, we’re all each other have left, you do intend on coming...  right?”

 

“Course. Course.” Garrick nodded along unconvincingly.

 

“Because I won’t last without you Garrick. I can’t fight and there are wolves and bandits south of the wall too.” Sigrid reasoned.

 

“Not as many.”

 

“But still some. And even if I did manage to survive I wouldn’t want to. Not without you.” Sigrid watched Garrick rub the back of his neck. She hurried her steps to keep pace with him and nudged her way under his arm. He let out a contented sigh and ruffled her hair with his big hand. “You’re my big brother and I need you.”

 

“Not as much as I need you little snowflake.” Garrick chuckled. _Little snowflake_ \- that was what her father called her, _what Munda called her_. “Without you I’d have no reason. I’d have went back to our burning little village and died avenging Benor and Munda. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t given me purpose.”

 

They fell silent for a while and walked with only the noise of the leaves rustling in their ears. The villagers had called the place they were walking through the Dead Forest and they called it that for a reason. Even Benor the master hunter refused to hunt in that place for the wolves were too many and the elk too few. He also told her that the wolves were larger there, that there some that grew to be as large as horses -  direwolves he had called them. Sigrid could scarcely imagine that and she hadn’t believed him. Yet she hadn’t believed in the white walkers either...

 

“My feet are sore.” Sigrid spoke after a while. Her legs were shorter than her brother’s and every stride for him was two for her.

 

“Then I shall have to carry you shan’t I?” Garrick paused and pulled her up into his arms like he had done when she had been just nine. She was now five and ten and she was too old to be carried - she knew that well enough - especially when her brother lacked his strength. “We can’t stop here to sleep. We need to find somewhere safer, perhaps a tree we can climb to the top of.”

 

She rested her head on Garrick’s chest and felt as though she could sleep soundly there. She pondered it to for a moment but the rapid beating of his heart kept her awake and focused. “I’ll keep watch tonight. Let you get some sleep.” She spoke. “I know you always stay awake to make sure nothing hurts me in the night. I promise I’ll wake you if something comes. You need to sleep too Garrick.”

 

“You’re weaker than me snowflake. You need your rest more for travelling this distance takes much more out of you with your little legs. But no more of that now, we’ll talk later once I have found us somewhere safe to rest for the night.”

 

They walked for an hour before he found somewhere he deemed “safe” It wasn’t a tree as he had astutely deduced that neither were strong enough to climb - but a tiny little cave dug into the edge of the snow-capped mountains.

 

“Here will do. The cave looks to be shallow so there should be anything nasty within it. It’ll give us good shelter from the snow.” Garrick set her down onto the ground and Sigrid traced her hand across the icy black rock. It was a pretty little cave she had to admit, she could see the glitter of rock within it - her father had once told  her you could find pretty  crystals and diamonds in caves that glittered like this one. “You wait here. I won’t be far. I’m going to try and catch us something to eat. I might be lucky and catch a rabbit, get a fire ready.”

 

She nodded numbly, taking the kindling from him. She gathered some dry wood that had been shielded from much of the snowfall and set about starting a little fire. She was successful after a few attempts. She grew impatient waiting on Garrick returning so she decided to explore the cave. Her brother wouldn’t have approved of course, yet he wasn’t here and she didn’t much care.

 

It was deeper than her brother had figured. There was a tiny little bend that wasn’t visible from outside. She had taken it and it had led her somewhere much too dark for her liking so she had backed away a little frightened. She was about to head back when she saw another opening - except there was a bright light shining from within this one. Excitedly she followed the light and found herself in a remarkable little cavern filled with glittering purple stone.

 

She chipped a piece off and twirled it around in her hand the purple swirling colour of it entrancing her. She found it marvelous how something so beautiful could be  hidden in a place so ugly and evil, She slipped the piece into her pocket and turned to leave, her foot making a loud squish sound as she back tracked.

 

She looked down and saw it. The large pile of excrement with her footmark now impressed onto it. It looked to have belonged to something quite large and for a moment she was filled with fear. If she told Garrick about this he would have had them leave immediately, excrement like the one she stood in suggested bears or wolves all of which could be fatal. However Sigrid could recall no footprints in the snow and she came to the conclusion that the animal was long gone.

 

She didn’t want to move, she was so terribly hungry and tired and there was something about this place - something distinctly magical and she felt at peace there. She returned to the fire and sat by it, warming her hands over the small yet fierce flame. When Garrick returned with only two rats she flashed him a reassuring smile and they shared the rats between them, she made sure that Garrick ate a little more than her. Munda always told her that men need more food than women to keep them strong and healthy.

 

“I never thought a rat could taste so good.” Garrick chuckled. “I saw some red berries I thought we might be able to eat, but you know what Munda says, anything red steer clear. Best not risk it really. If we’re still hungry come tomorrow though...”

 

“No. Nothing red. If we eat them we could get sick and a simple sickness could turn into something much worse when we’re already so weak and cold.” Sigrid told him, handing him a small skewer of rat. It smelled foul but in their hungry state it tasted like heaven. It was a wrench giving it to him, but he had carried her half the way. She figured he deserved it. He smiled at her before quickly polishing it off.

 

Night fell swiftly after that, the sun vanishing and the moon taking it’s place. It grew colder at nights and sometimes Sigrid wondered if the cold would take her before the hunger. She wondered for a moment which death would be worse, she figured the latter yet she would never know. You only die one death fortunately.

 

“Get some sleep Garrick. I’ll keep watch for a few hours. I’m not feeling that tired I slept a while when you were carrying me.” Sigrid lied.

 

“Fine, but wake me in an hour or so and I’ll take over. If you even hear a sound that is strange to you wake me as well. That’s an order.” She figured Garrick must have been very tired indeed to agree to it. She watched him nestle himself amongst the furs and she sat close to him, sharing their body heat with one another. She smiled as he shut his eyes and she pushed his shaggy hair out of his face. The wildlings girls had gone wild for Garrick. He had his father’s hair yet everything else was their mother’s whom Sigrid took after as well. Apparently she had been quite beautiful, yet Sigrid would never know if that was true. She had died just as Sigrid first drew breath, leaving a hole in the family that nothing could fill.

 

She felt relaxed watching her brother sleep. Besides Munda she was closest to Garrick, he was like a second-father especially since their own father had left to join Mance Rayder. She had been angry at her father for leaving, but couldn’t bring herself to hate him. He was just doing what he thought was best for his family.

 

Thought being the operative word.

 

She was pulled from her blissful trance by a noise within the cave. She froze still but did not wake Garrick. He needed his sleep and she wouldn’t wake him unless she was sure. She expected she was just being paranoid. Then she heard it again. It sounded like footsteps except there were more. Two more. An extra set of feet.

 

At least it wasn’t a white walker. That should have been a solace. Except it wasn't.

 

She was about to wake Garrick when she heard the growl. Her eyes darted up to meet the owner of the sound and all she saw was the bared teeth. Before she could do anything it leapt on her. She felt it bite into her arm and she thought she was done for then. That her life was over. But then she heard Garrick leap to his feet and in a few seconds the monster that was savaging her was still.

 

Her elder brother pushed the creature of her and gathered her in his arms, the blood coming from her arm staining his tunic. He held her for a few moments as she cried before he released her, tearing a chunk of fabric off his tunic and wrapping it around her wound. “We’ll clean it out later.” He spoke softly. “It’s might scar but it’s not fatal. Not if we keep it bandaged and clean.”

 

“What was that thing!” She exclaimed pointing to the creature. It looked like a wolf but it was more akin to a bear in terms of it’s size. “Is it a direwolf?”

 

“I think so. I’ve seen a few before but this one looks a lot bigger.” Garrick spoke. He pulled out his sword and began skinning the animal. “It’ll give us a lot of good fur not to mention a lot of meat. We won’t be eating rats for a while.”

 

“Will there be more around here?”

 

“Probably. Wolves keep to packs. Once I’ve skinned this we’ll get moving it’s nearly morning and the light will be with us soon.” Garrick told her calmly. “We’ll head out of the forest, we’ll go by the sea, you were right, it’s too dangerous here.”

 

She was glad. It took them a few hours to get to the sea. It was colder there as there were no trees to shield them from the wind but it was safer. They walked along the ice as they could slide the wolf carcass along it much easier.

 

That wolf kept them fed for two weeks and Sigrid could already feel her bones becoming less pronounced. It hadn’t lasted long enough though. They had managed to catch some fish after that but nothing substantial.

 

Her wound hadn’t eased. It gave her a lot of pain and her brother had took to redressing it ever hour. It was growing more yellow and had shown no signs of scabbing yet Garrick still insisted that it wouldn’t fester. _That it couldn’t._

 

They were skinny and starving again when they arrived at the port and both could have cried when the boats fell into sight. A lot of traders from Westeros would come north of the wall for furs and quarried stone. It was dangerous, but there were a few brave enough or eager enough for the spoils for which Sigrid was thankful. Sometimes a widling or two could hitch a ride back with them, that was what she and Garrick were counting on. Their last hope in fact.

 

“I’ll do all the talking Sig. That captain over there is just about leave. I expect he’s taking all those furs north. This grand old piece of skin we took from that direwolf might be a good enough bribe to broker a little spot on his ship.” Garrick took the fur off Sigrid’s shoulders and patted it down. Sigrid looked to the captain, a portly man who’d never known what it was like to starve, with a pointed moustache and eyes devoid of emotion. When he looked upon Garrick his eyes filled with disgust.

 

“Get away wildling. I’ll take none of you south if that’s what you’re hankering for.  That’s a capital offence that is and I’m rather fond of my head.”  His voice was far too squeaky to belong to a man, Sigrid didn’t like him already.

 

“I understand but I would give you payment. This fur is from a direwolf itself, you have none of them outh of the wall it would fetch a good price.” Garrick handed the captain the fur and he weighed it in his hands before setting it down. He played with his moustache before finally resting his gaze on Sigrid.

 

“It is a good fur. A very good fur. Some fancy northern lord would pay a pretty penny for the skin of a direwolf.” The captain mused, he thought for a moment longer. “Alright but mines is a small ship, I only have space for one of you.”

 

Sigrid felt Garrick’s hand on her back. All her hope died in that moment, but then her brother pushed her forward.

 

“You’ll take her. You’ll take her beyond the wall.” Garrick nodded at the captain. Sigrid burled around and stared at him angrily.

 

“We’ll wait on another boat. I’m not leaving without you Garrick not after everything!” She exclaimed. Garrick reached into his pocket and handed her a small blade - one he’d crafted himself. “Garrick!”

 

“Take this. If any man tries to hurt you, you cut his cock off with that.” He told her firmly, his face concealing all emotion. “You keep going south. You keep going south until you’ve forgotten what it is to be cold.”

 

Sigrid took the chunk of purple stone from her pocket and pressed it into his grip. “Bring it back to me.” She spoke feeling tears begin to fall.

 


	3. Skin and Bone

 

* * *

 Grey Wind paced the length of Robb’s tent with his tail wagging so fast it was a mere blur to the King of the North’s eyes. The direwolf had been unsettled since dinner and at first Robb hadn’t been able to discern whether his wolf was anxious or excited but now, with his tail wagging ten to the dozen he had started to believe the latter. He looked away from the war table and set his gaze on Grey Wind, his hand working it’s way through the wolf’s wiry grey fur.

 

“What’s matter with you boy? Do you want me to go a walk with you is that it?” Robb tried to suss the wolf out. He opened the flap of the tent and Grey Wind instantly fled through it. He paused for a moment allowing his master to catch up with him and when Robb was by his side he took off again into the surrounding woods. Letting out a sigh, Robb followed Grey Wind into the trees, nodding and smiling to his kinsman as he took his leave of the encampment.

 

He followed the wolf for sometime. He was glad of the escape if he was being honest, if he had to look at that war table one more time he’d go mad. Staring at the little wolf playing pieces entirely surrounded by lions wasn’t a sight he liked to see. He had won every battle and so it didn’t make sense for him to lose the war. But he was. he was losing more and more good men with every passing day.

 

He let his mind wander to more pleasant things, to days spent hunting with his father and Jon in the woods that surrounded Winterfell. His life hadn’t perfect, but it had been a good life. A carefree life. Then King Robert had came and taken his father away, and Jon had went to the wall and everything had changed and not for the better. Robb would have given anything for one more day of hunting with them.

 

Grey Wind vanished behind a thick clearing of trees and Robb found himself sprinting to keep up. Out of all of his family’s direwolves his had always seemed to have the most energy. He’d take him hour long walks but still his beast wouldn’t be tired. He’d taken to letting Grey Wind go walks by himself now as he was far too busy with war councils and appointments to take a dog for a walk. He wasn’t Joffrey and he didn’t have a hand  - only advisors - when he took a shit he was the one that had to clean up the mess - and what a mighty big mess he’d made.

 

He sometimes found himself regretting the decision to go to war and more than that  the decision to proclaim himself the King of North. His mother told him that his father would be proud of his decisions but Robb wasn’t so sure. Thousands of his people had died because of his decisions and thousands more would die before the war was over and all of it so that he could call himself King of the North.

 

In truth he hadn’t proclaimed himself king - his people had - they had put him on a throne and they had bent their knees in submission without him beating them down.  That didn’t stop the crown feeling awkward on his head. Sometimes he wanted to take it off and give it to someone else and just be a soldier who followed orders without question never having to worry about their consequences.

 

“Grey Wind! Come boy. We’ve walked far enough.” He shouted, upon seeing the moon in the sky he’d realized how late it was and how long they’d been walking. “Grey Wind! I’ll put you in your cage if you don’t come back!”

The dog didn’t come back, a moment later however the shrill cry of a girl filled the air. Robb followed the sound, the pads of his feet bouncing of the dirt ground. When he arrived at the source of it he saw Grey Wind stood over a young girl, profusely licking at her face as she frantically tried to escape him - quite visibly terrified of the giant, yet friendly, direwolf on top of her.

 

“He won’t hurt you. Grey Wind can tell a friend from a foe.” Robb’s soft voice seemed to calm the girl as she went still immediately. He reached out and took his wolf by the scruff of the neck, pulling him backward. The wolf sat dutifully at his side, tail beating off the ground as the girl drew to her feet.

 

She was frail thing and Robb could see every indentation of her spine as she clambered to her feet, furs haphazardly wrapped around her petite frame. Her skin was thin and tight over her jagged bones and her stomach was a concave bowl. He had never seen someone so skinny - and he’d seen many starving folk in his time. The sight of her standing there, shivering and clutching at her shoulders horrified him - by the look of her she hadn’t eaten in a long while.

 

Although she was skinny and quite obviously not at her best she had a pretty face and pale blue eyes that shone like crystals. He imagined that with a little more meat on her bones she would have been quite beautiful.

 

“Please don’t hurt me.” She muttered, eyes focusing in on Robb’s belt, where he had a hand around his sword. He quickly moved his hand away from his built and raised both in the air, the fear instantly left those pretty blue eyes.

 

“I won’t hurt you.” He told her softly, taking a small step toward her. For some reason he felt the need to protect the girl - she was so frail and vulnerable. “Neither will Grey Wind, unless you count licking as a form of attack.”

 

“Direwolves - there - there aren’t supposed to be any south of the wall.” She eyed Grey Wind and the fear returned to her pale blue orbs, she seemed so deathly afraid of his wolf and he couldn’t blame her, the sight of a wolf nearly the size of a horse was a frightening sight and no amount of licking would change that.

 

“There are a few. I found him when he was a pup. His mother was dead and I raised him. Don’t worry about him, he’s quite obedient.” Robb tried to ease her with the short anecdote. “What happened to you? Is everything alright?”

 

It was a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t alright but he didn’t know what else to ask her. She stared at her feet before looking back up at him.

 

“I’m all alone. My family are dead - I have to run - _I have to run from them_.” Her voice caught in her throat and Robb’s heart sunk. He’d heard it happen before, a thousand times in fact. Some quiet little village in the corner of nowhere being completely eradicated by bandits and other crooks. Entire families slaughtered in one sitting. With the war it was becoming more frequent as people grew more desperate. “They’ll come for me. For all of us.”

 

“They won’t hurt you. That I promise you.” He took another step forward. “My name is Robb. Robb Stark. I’m the King of the North. I’ll deal with these bandits, tell me where your from and I’ll send some men to bring them to justice.”

 

“King… bandits?” She looked utterly confused, Robb imagined she’d been through a horrible ordeal, enough to drive one mad.

 

“The bandits who killed your family, the bandits  you’re now running from - It’s all right I’m on your side, now where are you from?” He pressed.

 

“North of here.”

 

“Do you know the name of the village?”

 

“Just north of here. I come from north of here.” She repeated. He saw the water gather in her eyes and he let out a sigh, unsure as to what to say next. “I’m to head south  - as south as south gets, to where it never gets cold.”

 

“You’re still a long way from there I’m afraid” Robb was finally within reaching distance and he put his hand around her shoulder. “Do you have a name?”

 

“Sigrid. I’m Sigrid.” She hugged at her shoulders, jerking out of Robb’s touch.

 

“A pretty name. Pretty like your eyes.” He told her. If her cheeks were not already so red from the cold he expected there would have been a blush there. “Your of my country Sigrid and we northerners stick together, I have a camp nearby with food, water, fires and warm beds. Would you like to come back with me.”

 

“Thank you.” She looked up at him, tears still brimming. In one fell swoop he removed his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around hers. The cold quickly engulfed him but Sigrid looked a little warmer and she had been a stranger to warmth for a lot longer than him. “Really thank you.”

 

“It’s perfectly alright. I’m your king and my father always told me that being a king is like being a father.” He told her calmly. “Fathers protect their children. I’m just doing my job. How long have you been yourself? The north is a dangerous place for a young girl to be alone in,  It’s a wonder you’ve survived.”

 

“Lost count.. I travelled with my brother for a while but - I don’t know what happened to him after we split up. He’s probably dead.”  She spoke solemnly without a thread of hope. “He taught me how to survive though - how to find shelter, how to make fires, how to catch rats.”

 

“Rats?”

 

“They don’t taste so good but they’re all I can catch.” She murmured dragging her blistered feet. “I haven’t caught much lately.”

 

He could see that.

 

“Do your feet hurt? Maybe I could carry you?” He offered. She looked a little guilty, but her desire to be off her feet prevented her from outright denying him. With a smile on his face he slipped his hand underneath her knees and hoisted her up into his arms. Grey Wind whined at his feet, tail still wagging away like a fly swatter. “He likes you. It is not often he wags his tail for a stranger.”

 

“Wolves are dangerous. They tear people apart. They kill cattle in the night.”

 

“Not this one. This one does as he’s told. Sit boy.” Robb chuckled as Grey Wind shook his head.  “Well he does most of the time, He’s just showing off.”

 

Sigrid’s bones dug into him uncomfortably as he walked, she was as light as Bran had felt in his arms, even lighter in fact. He looked down at her again and she was sleeping, her breaths smooth and consistent. If he hadn’t found her he expected she would have frozen in the night. It had been the coldest in a while and Sigrid had no fat to seal in warmth. He wrapped his cloak tighter around her.

 

The encampment fell into sight and Grey Wind ran ahead. He told one of his guards to fetch his mother and he took Sigrid into his own tent, dropping her sleeping body amongst his sheets. He wrapped her in his cloak for extra warmth. Grey Wind looked ready to jump up and sleep beside her but Robb sent him outside - the girl had been so terrified of the direwolf he didn’t want her waking up and having a heart attack - not after all she had been through.

 

“What is it Robb?” Catelyn entered the tent. Her eyes promptly widened upon seeing Sigrid lying in his bed. “Why is there a girl in your bed?”

 

“Relax. I haven’t done anything with her.” Robb approached his mother. “Grey Wind found her in the woods and brought me to her. She’s all skin and bones I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s running from bandits I think - I carried her back here for safety. I couldn’t leave her out there, she would have frozen or starved - if not either of those things an animal would have taken her as easy prey.”

 

“You did the right thing.” Catelyn looked at the girl, examining her frail body with a motherly hand. “She’s a young thing. Can’t be anything more than six and ten. This is the warmest tent, you should let her sleep here tonight. I’m sure you’ll find a free bed somewhere, there are many empty beds. Only the gods themselves can count how many lives were lost this week alone.”

 

“I won’t lose another.” Robb spoke defiantly, eyes fixed on Sigrid.

 


	4. The Smallfolk

 

* * *

When Sigrid awoke she was warm - a feeling that had been foreign to her since the day the white walkers had came and changed everything. She cuddled into the cloak that was about her shoulders as her stomach growled violently. She was hungry and it was all she could think about. She couldn’t even think about the King of the North and his direwolf who both had consumed her dreams that entire night. She was about to pull herself out of bed when the tent flap opened. She half expected to see Robb but instead it was a woman with the same hue of auburn hair -  a woman with a mother’s face. She was carrying a tray of food.

 

“I trust you had a good night’s sleep.” The woman greeted, her voice was as gentle as her face. She approached with the tray of food and the scent of meat and eggs sent Sigrid straight to heaven. She half expected the woman to take the tray away but instead she set it down on Sigrid’s lap. “I brought you breakfast.”

 

“Thank you.” Sigrid felt her voice catch in her throat. She felt ready to cry but she held it back - apart from her family no one had ever shown her such kindness as Robb and the woman in front of her. “Thank you so much.”

 

“It’s quite alright. You’re a child of the north. We have to look after each other or come winter there will be none of us left.” Sigrid _was_ a child of the north - a child of the true north. Robb had carried her half a mile because he thought she was one of his people but she wasn’t and she knew that if they knew the truth she wouldn’t be enjoying breakfast in bed right now.  She had to lie - to tell the truth would be to hang herself from her own noose.  “I’m Catelyn. Robb’s mother.”

 

“I’m Sigrid.” She introduced already starting to wolf down her breakfast. It was the most delicious thing she’d ever eaten in her life, the eggs were perfectly cooked and the ham - the ham was so tender her old grandmother could have chewed it with her toothless gums. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“I can tell you aren’t used to being around the high-born so I shall give you the benefit of the doubt but even most low-born girls know how to address a lady.” Catelyn’s voice was still soft, yet a little more stern. Sigrid began to eat much slower as the woman spoke.  “Refer to me as m’lady and when you’re referring to King Robb, you shall call him your grace. Having manners shall help you a lot.”

 

“I’m sorry… m’lady. I’m very thankful to… to… his grace, for carrying me back here. No one has shown me such kindness since my family,,.” Sigrid expected her father would have whipped her if he ever found out she was addressing anyone as _his grace or my lady._  “...since my family were killed.”

 

“My son is a good man, just as his father was. He was very lucky to have found you. It was freezing last night I can’t imagine you would have survived it if he hadn’t.” Catelyn’s voice waivered. “I’ve never seen someone so skinny.”

 

“That’s what living on rats does to you m’lady.” Sigrid was starting to get the hang of the whole m’lady thing. Catelyn looked genuinely upset for her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I wasn’t very good at catching them. Most days I’d do without.”

 

“You’ll never have to eat a rat again If I can help it.” Catelyn chuckled. The tent flap opened again and that grey direwolf barged through. It leapt onto the bed and began licking Sigrid who felt her body go stiff with fear. It reminded her of the one that had tried to kill her over the wall,  the thought alone made her heart beat fast.

 

“Grey Wind! Get off her. She’s scared.” It was Robb’s commanding  voice, he pulled the great direwolf of her and it ran away with it’s tail inbetween it’s legs. “I’m sorry about him. He’s very… attracted to you for some reason.”

 

“It’s alright… I just… I can’t help being scared of him…” Sigrid stuttered, Catelyn send her a sharp stare. “I can’t help being scared of him _your grace._ ”

 

“I see my lady mother has given you the m’lady and m’lord lesson. You could have let her eat her breakfast in peace mother.” Robb chuckled.

 

“It’s important she knows the proper etiquette.” Except free-folk have no use for etiquette. There are no lords and ladies north of the wall and Mance Rayder doesn’t make people call him _his grace._ It all seemed rather strange to Sigrid, for a man to be born above another. “She’s a quick learner.”

 

“Good. If you wouldn’t mind mother, I would speak to her alone. There were some gaps in her story I should like to fill now that’s she’s fed and well rested.” Robb instructed his mother, she bowed her head and turned to leave. “You look better already Sigrid. It won’t be long till you’re fat at this rate.”

 

“I can’t rely on your kindness forever your grace.” Sigrid smiled.

 

“You can. For as long as you need.” Robb looked to the floor.

 

“Why are you helping me so much, not that I’m ungrateful, but why?”

 

“If you want the truth. I feel partially responsible for you. Ever since the war broke out I’ve had no men to spare to patrol the villages. If I hadn’t started this war - If I had done a thousand things differently - what happened to your family could have been prevented. When us big lords start wars it’s the smallfolk that bleed the most.”

 

“It’s not your fault.” Robb could be blamed for a dozen bandits roaming free, maybe, but a hoard of dead men walking. She doubted it. She had half a mind to tell him the truth now just to ease his conscience. “It really isn’t your grace.”

 

“I’m glad you don’t blame me but that won’t stop me blaming myself. I’m responsible for everyone in the North and I’m failing them.”

 

“You didn’t fail me. Without you I’d be dead. I saw many people that could have helped me along my travels more than I can even count. I was starving, crying half the time, and freezing. You were the first one to stop and show me kindness.” Sigrid spoke from the heart. Since she’d gotten off the boat she’d seen many on the road and none had batted an eyelid, none except Robb.

 

“There are a lot of horrible people in the North, just because I’m not one of them doesn’t mean I’m good - a good king.” Robb sighed. “What am I saying? You have enough of your own troubles without me dropping mine on you.”

 

Sigrid laughed. “I suppose I do.”

 

“...Where do you come from? You’re bound to remember the name of the village you stayed in.” Robb’s eyes darkened. Sigrid recognized this as a moment to tell the truth, but her tongue stayed still. “You’ve had a traumatic experience, I can understand details slipping from your mind, but you must remember.”

 

Korstag. That was the name of her village. She remembered it fine and well, but upon further research Robb would discover that Korstag was beyond the wall.

 

“It wasn’t a village really, it was just a gathering of houses. A few families and a farmer. No one bothered to give it a name.” She lied fluidly and was a little concerned as to how good she was getting at it. Robb nodded along. “It was near... “ She tried to think of the port. “Near Port Whitecliff.”

 

“I see… do you remember what they looked like these men?”

 

Eyes white as untouched snow, skin blue like that of a corpse left too long in the cold, frostbitten fingertips, Ice, cold like their hearts. She remembered well.

 

“They were big. Big.. scary and they didn’t know the meaning of mercy.” She spluttered. “They .. killed my brother when he fought back and they cut my sister down when she tried to protect me. I don’t know what they wanted.”

 

“I won’t make you relive it in anymore detail.” He looked visibly affected.

 

“Thank you. I can’t remember much of what they looked like.” Lie.

 

“I believe you. I don’t want to belittle your suffering Sigrid, but I recently lost a father. I know what it is to lose a family member.” Robb’s voice was hoarse.

 

“What happened to him?”

 

“Have you been living under a rock Sigrid?” Robb half-chuckled. “He went south to be hand of the king. He found out the truth about the Queen - that she was sleeping with her own brother and they called him a traitor to the crown for declaring that truth and took his head. That’s why I’m fighting this war, to avenge him and to show the south us northerners won’t be their slaves any longer.

 

“Oh.”

 

“And to get my sisters back. They have my sisters.” He looked solemn for a moment. “The war isn’t going so well between me and you. I trusted a friend and he betrayed me. He took my castle and has probably killed my little brothers. I’m losing good men every day and my smallfolk are suffering as evidenced by you.”

 

“Your dropping your troubles on me again.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“No. Please don’t be. It makes me feel better actually - to know that I’m not the only one the old gods hate.” Robb laughed, a beautiful sound. Laughter was her favourite sort of music, it made her soul feel lighter than air.

 

“You pray to the old gods? I thought it was only my family that did that.”

 

“My father didn't believe in any gods but my sister took to the old gods. We had a weirwood, just a little one. We’d pray by it when the harvest was poor and even then I forgot sometimes.” Sigrid explained. “My mother taught my sister about the old gods and her mother taught her and then Munda taught me.”

 

“So it’s just the women of your family?”

 

“The men of my village cared only for violence.” Sigrid mused, how many times she’d wiped blood from her father’s brow after he’d gotten into a fight with a  wilding or four she had lost count. “The men were too busy bashing their heads together to pray and beg the gods for kindness.”

 

“Such an interesting little village. I should have liked to have visited.”

 

“I assure you, your grace, you really wouldn’t.” Sigrid laughed.

 

“Maybe not.” He mused. “I should really get going Sigrid. I have war councils and all sorts of exciting things to be doing. I’ll get you a tent ready, one where you can stay on a much more permanent basis.”

 

“Thank you again.”

  
“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled once more. “And if anyone bothers you at all Sigrid, you just let me know okay?”

 


End file.
